Americans have a fundamental right to protect themselves, and that right is guaranteed by the Constitution's Second Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court's historic 2008 decision in District of Columbia vs. Heller definitively affirmed that Second Amendment liberties are intended to protect the rights of individuals.

California law should respect the Second Amendment rights of all Californians, as defined in the Heller decision.

An individual's right to protect him or her self should not be limited to the home, as anyone who has been the victim of a crime in a public place can attest. The recent decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Perulta v. San Diego was the right one: individuals should not have to meet an arbitrary standard and prove a need to protect themselves in order to receive a concealed carry permit. Requirements that permit applicants are interviewed and receive firearms training are reasonable and good public policy, but requiring an applicant to persuade a government official of their need to exercise their right to self defense is not.